The Man With the Violin, by Kathy Stinson (illustrated by Dušan Petričić)

What a beautiful story about a real life event. Renowned American violinist Joshua Bell took to the subways of Washington, D.C., to give a free concert. Although hundreds of commuters rushed by him, none stopped to listen. Bell later noted that there were several children who strained to hear the music from his violin but were pulled along by busy parents intent on catching their trains. This book, illustrated by the incomparable Dušan Petričić (illustrator of the anniversary edition of Robert Munsch's Mud Puddle and--one of my favourites--Andrew Larsen's In the Tree House) perfectly captures both the story of that day and the music that inspired it. The drawings almost dance off the page.

I read this to my daughter Magda, who was a bit annoyed by the book because she knows all too well the frustration of being pulled away by busy parents when she's trying to enjoy something interesting. So I think it brought up old wounds for her. Alas.

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About Me

I am a poet, a teacher, a nerd, a book blogger and now a mother. In everything I do there are never enough words...so I keep looking for them. I maintain several blogs, with varying degrees of regularity, including this one. Mostly I write about books.